Fresh Squeezed Artists in St. Petersburg's Arts District

This week I have been writing about the St. Petersburg Warehouse Arts District which I explored last Saturday. One of the places that caught my eye was called Fresh Squeezed. I was unable to determine if this were an arts school, arts colony, and art gallery or something else, but it was a lage building with plenty happening. Like an art museum there were various galleries featuring various exhibitions. Like our own Duluth Art Institute there was a children's gallery with creative activities for young ones. It reminded me of the Lincoln Center in our West End.

I had time available and went inside to do a walkabout here. It was thoroughly fulfilling. In the first gallery to the right of the entrance there were pictures by Penelope Livingston. Around the corner there were a number of other artists represented, and then there was the orange juice project. A fellow was taking fresh oranges and making orange juice using a large mechanical juice squeezer. Every now and then he would announce, "Do a drawing of an orange juice and you get a small orange juice, draw and orange and you get a medium, and draw me making orange juice for a large.

This was intriguing. He also pointed out the piece of paper we were to draw on, along with art supplies. You could use pencil, pen and ink, crayons, colored pencils or even use water colors. The finished drawings were be being strung in the manner of clothes on a clothes line set out to dry. It wasn't long before I set about to earn a large orange juice.

This is the performing artist and model at center stage in this art drama.

There are clearly a lot of artists in this town.

There a number of paintings in this stylized form. 

The simplicity and design elegance impressed me.

Marium Rana had several pieces including this and the one below.

The works were varied and fascinating.

Rebecca Zweibel's Untitled 9

This painting of wrestlers was a wall mural in a hallway.

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 Once you are tuned in, it is fascinating to see not only the variety of art but its pervasiveness as well. 

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For what it's worth, the 2017 Goin' Postal Spring Art Show will be next Friday at 6:00 p.m. in Superior. I'll be there with a number of new paintings. There will be new works by more than a dozen other artists. I hope you'll be there, too.

Meantime, art goes on all around you. Get into it.